sholio | A quick addendum to the Psychic!Neal story

One of the comments that I got on the story pointed out that there was something rather important that I didn't specify (it's one of those situations where this information was all in my head, but I never said it in the story). Normally I wouldn't feel the need to specifically point out something that I'd changed in a story (I'd just quietly fix it) but since this is actually plot related, if you've already read the story, see under the cut:

I hadn't realized 'til someone pointed it out that I never specified how long Neal's sentence was in the AU or what would happen to him at the end of it, which leaves the impression that it's a life sentence (given his abilities). In the back of my head, I guess that it was implied that his sentence was the same in the AU as in canon (four years), but I never said so, which definitely gives a wrong impression! Plus, this is a pretty big omission, since it's something that would certainly have been weighing heavily on Neal's mind.

So I added a bit to the scene where Peter picks him up from prison, to make this clearer. The scene now goes like this:

Neal looked a little better than he had before, but only a little; he was still pale, his eyes smudged with blue shadows. Peter had meant to greet him with a firm talking-to and a set of ground rules -- get this whole affair off on the right foot -- but instead he asked as Neal got into the passenger seat, "That thing still giving you headaches?"

"Only on days ending in Y." Peter's expression must have been concerned, because Neal brushed it off. "It's getting better. I only get the bad migraines every once in a while." He drummed his fingers on the dashboard. "So this is for four years."

"Yeah." That had been as far as they'd managed to plea-bargain down.

"When I get the anklet off, do I get this thing on my head off, too? Are they really going to let me just walk around?"

"I don't know," Peter said. "Look, let's take it one day at a time here, okay? We're way out on a limb as it is. First let's prove this can work; then we'll start taking baby steps the rest of the way." He looked at Neal more closely, at Neal's obvious exhaustion and pain, and said carefully, "You told me once ... that you didn't know what it would be like not to -- be able to hear things like you do. That you thought the silence might be hard to take."

Neal heaved a sigh. Peter could see him trying to decide how much to tell him.

... and continues from there as it did before.

Anyway, I wanted to mention this for those of you who'd already read the story, so that you didn't miss it. :)